Australia’s 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Program (IIP) demonstrate a stronger commitment to cyber defence and capability. They reinforce that cyber for Defence is not just about securing networks but also about …
The Strategist on: "ASPI staff"
The Australian government’s decision to curtail the Inland Rail Project was politically brave. Governments rarely walk away from troubled megaprojects once billions have been spent and expectations have hardened. Yet the real issue sits well …
Strategic competition now extends far beyond military capability and economic strength. Liberal democracies therefore have a strategic interest in cultivating a confident civic patriotism that strengthens social cohesion, reinforces institutional legitimacy and supports national resilience. …
China’s pressure on Taiwan increasingly relies on vessels that aren’t warships. Instead, Beijing is deploying a maritime grey-zone fleet: a network of civilian and paramilitary vessels used to harass, intimidate and probe Taiwan while remaining …
AI is the most consequential technology we will ever create. The visit by Japan’s pro-industry Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to Australia this week was a chance to bind our efforts with those of a natural …
Historian and media commentator James Curran is wrong to suggest we should fear that closer defence ties with Japan could drag Australia into a conflict with China, as he argued in the Australian Financial Review …
I’ve just finished reading a fantasy novel written entirely by an AI. The Second Son of the House of Bells is the story of a young bellmaker whose keen musical ear makes him an agent of political …
The Northern Territory still struggles to convert opportunity into sustained economic growth because workforce shortages, weak enabling infrastructure and slow approvals continue to choke investment. With the May budgets in Darwin and Canberra fast approaching, …
The market for commercial cyber intrusion capabilities (CCICs) is moving faster than the frameworks designed to govern it. What began as a niche ecosystem of surveillance vendors has evolved into a sprawling, fragmented industry. While …
Japan is unlikely to join the submarine component of the AUKUS defence partnership between Australia, Britain and the United States, but it could help mitigate the risks associated with Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. This …
Rather than gradually expanding its defence and security engagement across the Indo-Pacific, Beijing may choose to accelerate its trajectory, pushing boundaries to advance its interests and take advantage of a distracted United States. The result …
Microsoft’s A$25 billion investment in Australian AI and cloud infrastructure positions the country as a significant node in the Indo-Pacific’s trusted digital architecture. That creates a strategic opportunity – one Australia is well placed to …